Galaxy SII, Amaze/Ruby, or Nexus Prime

I have been waiting for a while to get a new phone and now there's so many choices I can't decide. What is everyone else going to get? I also have seen that the Prime may be exclusive for Verizon. Post your thoughts on each so we can all hopefully get a better idea of which one to get!

It's really a close call between the SGS2 and the Amaze. Each argument for one can be countered with one for the other. Both good phones.

The Nexus Prime is set to beat them both, if the rumored specs are true but we still don't know anything about the phone.  Even if the Prime is exclusive to Verizon, the exclusivity will be temporary or there will be other non Verizon editions.

Well, I have a Sensation and am pretty happy with the phone (after the update) and so I will be passing on the Amaze and SGS2.  I can tell you that I will be holding out for a phone that can top my Sensation in the following catagories:

Screen resolution- My next phone has to have a resolution higher than qHD.
Processing power- My next phone has to have a significant increase in speed and power, not a small incremental "bump."

Perhaps the Prime or I may just hold off for another one of HTC's offering as I do prefer Sense over Android...

Nexus Prime.  Being the owner of a Vibrant, we which never got an OTA update of 2.2, and does not appear to be getting a 2.3 update, I personally will only be buying Nexus devices from here on out, or taking a look at Windows phone after the mango update comes out.  I don't think it is too much to ask for updates in a somewhat timely manner and at this point the no update cycle that Samsung and Tmobile have given  me with the Vibrant is no longer acceptable.

Archie definitely makes a valid point there.

Considering that we are stuck with the (full discount) phones for 2 years, one would want to make sure that the next phone is ICS compatible and the best way to do that is to wait for phones with ICS at launch.

Something else to consider:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethwoyke/2011/09/06/nvidia-ceo-quad-core-tablets-coming-by-end-of-year/

Quad core SOC's coming to phones in Q1 2012. Again, considering contract's duration, holding out a little longer for the next gen makes a lot of sense to me.

^^ Quad-cores for phones are Q3/Q4 2012.. Tablets is Q1 2012 (or Q4 2011).

The quarter may actually jump down on Quad-Core for smartphones. We will wait and see.

Well, I have a Sensation and am pretty happy with the phone (after the update) and so I will be passing on the Amaze and SGS2.  I can tell you that I will be holding out for a phone that can top my Sensation in the following catagories:

Screen resolution- My next phone has to have a resolution higher than qHD.
Processing power- My next phone has to have a significant increase in speed and power, not a small incremental "bump."

Perhaps the Prime or I may just hold off for another one of HTC's offering as I do prefer Sense over Android...

I was just curious, sure the phones in 2012 may be substantially better, as future phones will always be.  but you don't think the Galaxy S II has a much better screen, or is faster, regardless of the numbers, showing up in Quadrant.  Not sure if this is a question i am asking or rhetorical. I  do respect that we all have our opinions and desires.


Archie, I had a Vibrant and switched to the  MT4G before Froyo   But my mom has a Vibrant...still..and got the ota update about 3 weeks after they announced it.  Trust me,  I do believe there could be a lapse or failure in getting it out to some.  Were you one of those.  Or did u eventually get it.  Sammy has gotten much much better with updates.  But now, they put out the best in the beginning so there isn't the worry there used to be.


Eric

"I was just curious, sure the phones in 2012 may be substantially better, as future phones will always be.  but you don't think the Galaxy S II has a much better screen, or is faster, regardless of the numbers, showing up in Quadrant.  Not sure if this is a question i am asking or rhetorical. I  do respect that we all have our opinions and desires."

I like the GS2, I think it is a beautiful device.  The screen tech is definitely better than anything HTC is currently offering.  I really like how simple they went with the slate design, along with the curvature of the edges.  I honestly would not mind having that phone.  Although I do like specs, I don't always get caught up in them only because I am sure it will be able to handle the very few games that I play on the phone, text, email, phone calls (remember when we use just do that with our phones?-lol), web browsing, etc.  The only thing holding me back from the GS2 is the fact that I prefer Sense UI vs Touch Wiz...  Also, I'm really not a fan of Samsungs widgets...

Btw, I did get rid of my Sensation in favor of the Amaze or GS2 (looks like I ate my own words there...).  I'm leaning more towards the Amaze due to my familiarity with the UI and the updated camera.  I'm not overly impressed with the design of the phone but it wasn't a big deal for me to sell my Sensation and so I went for it.

Both phones look awesome.  I have no idea what the Prime will be like or if we're even getting it.  I've read a lot of rumored specs, from a 720p screen to a WVGA screen... Not sure what to make of it.  The way I'm looking at it, I will simply have to wait a couple of weeks in order to make the smartest decision for me.

I know it's just a mock up and the profile shot was extracted from the teaser video but this is hot:

This is definitely a nice looking mock up... I wish HTC would come through with something a tad different than what they've been offering. I remember when I first held my unlocked Touch Diamond from overseas, I thought it was amazing and well built. Same with my unlocked Palm Treo PRO. Funny, I'm going off here for a sec but when I first got my BB 9930, I thought it could pass for an outsourced design by HTC for RIM.

Samsung has definitely stepped it up with their design, hopefully the final specs will match this stunning device.

Yea I seen this yesterday.. Really nice mockup and gfx.. The Event has been pushed back because of Steve Job's death and funeral.. So i'm guessing a week pushback (17th).

I think its starting to get a lot more clear as far as specs and hardware go. I'm leaning to nexus prime its just a matter of when we get it. I've played with an at&t galaxy S2 and wasn't very impressed with the build quality. I agree that HTC has much better hardware but I still want to go in the store and compare the Ruby and galaxy s2. I think the prime comes with the advantage of stock android but thats different for every person. Well see how the prime event unfolds and go from there.

Now that the Prime specs have been confirmed, SGS2 is looking very good in comparison. Google went with the OMAP4 so it looks like it will have the same GPU as the Nexus S while having even more workload because of the increased resolution. We can expect ICS to be more efficient than Gingerbread, even more so knowing that hardware acceleration is supposed to be implemented deeper in ICS but there is no denying that Prime's SoC is somewhat lackluster compared to the SGS2's Exynos.
Prime definitely has the ICS at launch and fastest updates going for it but both advantages will evaporate as soon as XDA has spends some time with ICS.

While mega pixel count isn't the most important factor for picture quality, the downgrade to 5MP camera compared to the 8MP shooters we are used to seeing in high end phones indicates that we aren't looking at a top phone.

I more than welcome the Prime to prove me wrong but the OMAP 4460 with it's PowerVR SGX540 doesn't cut it. Not as a high end device at least.

^^ There was another leak.. They said that the OMAP4 version is for the Droid PRIME, and the GSM version will have the newer 1.5GHz Exynos 4212 with SGX543MP2 (DC GPU).. but who knows what the truth is.. We'll just have to wait for the event.. but yea, hopefully the Nexus PRIME will have the better chip than the OMAP4460.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/06/samsung-galaxy-nexus-specs-leak-headed-to-verizon-as-an-exclusi/

That dude in Romania that posted the video walk through confirmed it, it's OMAP4460 otherwise I wouldn't have written the earlier post.

What do I do now? Contract expires in March, full discount eligible in January. It will be summer before we get another high end. Chances are it will be a HTC high end like Sensation but we already know that no matter how good it is, Sprint's EVO will have some edge over it. I can wait all the way til the end of the contract to make a decision.

I can say this right now though, I hate AWS. It's a ****ing ****block. If I were to buy a SGS3 at launch, I wouldn't be able to use it. And I would probably have to wait 6 months for the AWS version like it's always been the case with good phones. I can only hope the international version would carry them but they have no reason to add them on.

Tegra 3, OMAP5, S4 snapdragons, they have all had serious delays. I remember Nvidia CEO interviews when he claimed Tegra3 would be out in Q1 2011. I still have no doubt that after they arrive, all OEM's will be milking the product cycle of new tech. The question is, can my HD2 hold me over til they do, if next gen doesn't show up this summer. A little over 4 months left on the contract, hoping things improve by then.

BTW, Brian Klug from Anandtech says an unlocked T-Mobile SGS2 will roll on AT&T's HSPA+ bands.

I call BS by that guy.. That was a Nexus S, or some variation of it (Romanian version?).. Notice how he didn't even show us a tour of the hardware.. OMAP4460 for THIS kind of release? Hell NO! Google and Samsung knows that wont cut it and alot of techies will be in a uproar if that is true.. Plus OMAP is only used by Motorola mainly.. and it will struggle to push a 720p screen anyways.. but the only thing we can do is wait til we hear from Google & Samsung.

And yea, I wish the unlocked versions had penta-band HSPA+.. don't know why they don't, unless there is some kinda of incompatibilities with a few chips.. But yea, I can't wait for those next chips (S4, Exynos 4212, Tegra3, and OMAP5).. The upcoming S4 will have just about support for ALL highly used spectrums in 2G, 3G, and 4G (no WiMax tho, lol).. S4 (8960) and Exynos2 (4212) should be the first ones released.. Then Tegra 3.. OMAP5 won't be here til 2H2012.

And is that screenshot AT&T (which I doubt, lol), or Tmo HSPA+?

The screenshot is T-Mo HSPA+, he is doing the T-Mobile version of SGS2 review.
I really hope you are right. But there is a lot of evidence pointing in the other direction:
http://www.androidcentral.com/notion-ink-ceo-confirms-ice-cream-sandwich-oct-omap-reference-platform-says-adam-will-update-nov http://androidandme.com/2011/08/news/tis-omap4-pretty-much-confirmed-as-lead-platform-for-ice-cream-sandwich/

I hope it's all bad rumors but I think I remember news of Google choosing OMAP4 as the reference platform.
Why Google would up the resolution but still use the same GPU as for the Nexus S? Maybe they optimized the OS significantly which would be very good news but the GPU is still a weakness. As much as I don't like it, it does make sense from Google's point of view to ensure ICS can ran on lower end devices. Even though some are still waiting for Gingerbread update.

We wait and see I guess.

Anand has a nice article on the S4 lineup:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4940/qualcomm-new-snapdragon-s4-msm8960-krait-architecture.

These things are fast, Qualcomm's version of the A15 Cortex is 30%-50% faster than current A9's clock for clock so even more overhead there with the 28nmm silicon, Adreno 225 said to be 50% faster than the 220. Those combined should make for a next gen performance. These will make it into phones in H1 2012. Both Nvidia and Qualcomm have published the whitepapers, indicating they are ready for production but all waiting for the die shrink. I am sure the next Evo will have one of these.

H2 is where it gets really interesting though  During summer and fall, OMAP5, A6, Exynos 4212 and Kal-El+ (28nm) are all expected to make into phones and tablets and Qualcomm is saving it's best for H2 2012. MSM8974 is a brand new architecture, quad core @2.5 GHz with Adreno 320. Can't wait to see how they all compare to each other. It's all shaping up for a next gen storm storn in summer/fall 2012 followed by clock bumps and rehashes, it will be a while before new architecture replaces A15.

The problem we T-MO users have is to match these new SoC's with our preferred phone makers, then with our preferred OS and finally, with out preferred carrier, T-Mobile. In this process of elimination, 5 out 6 good phones we want we can't have because the above process has made out of reach for us with at least one factor.

Even when we do get lucky with that selection, it takes a very long wait to get our hands on such phone.
We both know the SGS2 is a really good phone but here in the US, they are delayed by 6 months and that's a lot of time in the mobile industry.

This is definitely a nice looking mock up... I wish HTC would come through with something a tad different than what they've been offering. I remember when I first held my unlocked Touch Diamond from overseas, I thought it was amazing and well built. Same with my unlocked Palm Treo PRO. Funny, I'm going off here for a sec but when I first got my BB 9930, I thought it could pass for an outsourced design by HTC for RIM.

Samsung has definitely stepped it up with their design, hopefully the final specs will match this stunning device.

I know it's just a mock up and the profile shot was extracted from the teaser video but this is hot:

Tmo Customer,

Can you tell me how to get the blue wallpaper on the Nexus Sample

Also, for everyone, I tried to send him a private message, but you have to enter the security letters.  I only get a blank box, with a small x in it.  something is not enabled. And the voice thing is useless.  Anyone know what might not be enabled

Also, on this site and all associated ones, like phonedog, etc I get an occasional error , don't know what it is, appears in the center, I close it out and I am done

so, since this is the forum to post it, and while someone asked. ....Amaze, G S2, or wait for Nexus. We are not "guaranteed" the Nexus per se even tho FCC approved it they say,   I am so bored with Sense and even tho with the original Nexus and MT4G built like brick ****houses and sammy was always more delicate but by FAR more beautifull.  Sammy went ahead in beauty, fixed their fault of not updating by at least putting out an up to date phone.  But now they come out with the Amaze where they say that the HTC IS FINAlLY as pretty a phone as the Galaxy. Confused...but I think being sick of sense and all, leads me to believe for me the Galaxy S2 is for me   . 

sorry for thinking out loud  If u can lend a hand, I'd be grateful

Eric

I am not sure what you mean? Do you want to use this picture I posted as a wallpaper on your phone?

The pic I posted is low res I think, google for high res version, save  and resize it on your cumputer to fit your phone desktop and send it to your phone, if that's what you are asking.